metalmaniac Posted September 13, 2007 Share Posted September 13, 2007 What are the best type of strings for tapping.. Heavier Guage or Light Guage... and what should be the best string height for this. (Bear in mind i tap on my 6 + 7 strings) There seem to be a couple Luthiers on here so im guessing ill get some help. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veils Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 I think with tapping it is more to do with the action of your instrument. Obviously with lighter strings, it gets easier. If I were you I would get light strings and once you are able to tap some nice melodies out and get all the notes sounding crisp and clear, maybe try it with some heavier strings to get a bit more beef to your tone..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilmour Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 +1 on the action - really low, really flat neck works best for me. I find for tapping you want to use really light guage strings. They're much easier to play, in general i prefer heavier guage strings for tone, however when you are tapping you don't want to many bass and low mid frequencies as you are playing many notes at once and this will muddy the sound up, so a lighter guage will eliviate this problem and give you a much clearer tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metalmaniac Posted September 14, 2007 Author Share Posted September 14, 2007 Ok cheers guys. Now just to find a good selection of 7 string sets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 [quote name='metalmaniac' post='60493' date='Sep 14 2007, 05:43 PM']Ok cheers guys. Now just to find a good selection of 7 string sets.[/quote] For tapping, NewTone strings can make you a custom 7 string set. They are lovely bright sounding strings handmade in the UK. Very nice. Failing that, expect to go to a lot of suppliers and buy sets of 6+1 strings. Strings Direct and Stringbusters will do this if you contact them directly. Elite strings via House Music have been making up my sets recently. Rotosound are pretty easy to get of in singles too. Check out other suppliers such as overwater in the UK as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alun Posted September 19, 2007 Share Posted September 19, 2007 Light gauge strings and a low action will make it easier but I'd really recommend putting the time in on your regular bass as you may find that the low action/light gauge approach won't be any good for regular bass playing. Some people are happy having different basses for different techniques, but I've always wanted to be able to incorporate techniques with my regular playing, even if it makes it harder initially. Cheers, Alun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 I find it easier to tap with very heavy gauge strings and high action... but then again im weird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilmour Posted September 20, 2007 Share Posted September 20, 2007 [quote name='charic' post='63053' date='Sep 20 2007, 12:36 PM']I find it easier to tap with very heavy gauge strings and high action... but then again im weird [/quote] wow really - you are weird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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